Time and Time Again
by ajfankeith
Summary: An Emmerdale story...with a 'nod' towards another long-running TV show!
1. Chapter 1

Time and Time Again

_-O-_

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

_-O-_

It was cold out. Aaron hunched his shoulders against the biting wind as he traipsed through the woods, hood up to protect him from the chill breeze. He could hear the leaves rustling in the trees above him; and some of those leaves were beginning to fall in the autumnal air. How easy it would be to just lie down beneath one of the trees and let the cold evening air envelope him, cover him with dead leaves and let the cold air gnaw away at his bones until he ceased to exist. But, that's not what Jackson would have wanted! Jackson; the only man he had ever loved. Aaron did not know what he was doing here; he had just started walking from the village and suddenly found himself in this place. His mind had been racing; Jackson was still there in his thoughts, even now, months after the tragic day that he had lost everything.

He had reached a small clearing and he stopped. He knew this place, yet there was an old, ramshackle shed right in the middle of the space which he had never seen before. How did it get here? As he approached the shed slowly, a surreal feeling came over him, he put his hand out to touch the old, rusty handle on the door of the shed; but he withdrew it quickly...he was sure the handle was vibrating! How could that be?

As Aaron stood there, he became aware of a faint humming, an unearthly sound which did not belong with the sound of the rustling leaves. He was about to turn and leave, but his curiosity got the better of him and he grasped the handle again. He now had confirmation that it was indeed vibrating. He pulled the door, but it seemed shut tight. So, then he pushed and suddenly fell headlong through the doorway and into a large room which was bathed in light! Aaron blinked and shook his head. How could this be the inside of the shed? A console, with a bank of instruments, sat in the centre of the room; with a strange, circular glass object slowly rising and falling in the middle. But, the weirdest thing of all was the elderly man standing at the console. The long grey hair put him in mind of his late grandfather, Shadrach, but this man was much more smartly attired than his old relative ever was! The old man looked up in surprise at Aaron's sudden appearance.

"What the...?" Aaron gasped.

The old man looked Aaron up and down, "That's not right! I set a course for Metabelius Three! You're from Earth, aren't you?"

"What are you on about?" Aaron looked directly at the man, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"You're on board my ship, young man!" replied the stranger.

"Ship?" Aaron still looked shell-shocked, "What do you mean...ship?"

"You haven't answered my question yet! Are we on Earth?"

Aaron was losing his patience, "This is doing my head in! Are you mad?"

The old man looked irritated, "Young man! Are you incapable of answering a simple question? Never mind, you've already answered it! Only a human could behave in such a way! This is definitely Earth! How did you get in here?"

"Through the door!" Aaron said, wondering why the man was asking such a daft question! "You still haven't told me where I am!"

"Yes I have! You're on board my ship!"

"But this is an old shed!" Aaron felt like pinching himself; he was sure that he was dreaming or had sustained a blow to the head.

"Ah!" the old man replied, as if he had just solved a riddle, "It may look like an old shed from the outside, but that's just the chameleon circuit. It blends in with its surroundings, you see!" He spoke in a matter-of-fact way, as if Aaron should comprehend without a problem!

"Look, whoever you are; are you going to tell me where I am?" Aaron looked increasingly annoyed.

"I've told you, on board..."

"...Your ship! Yeah, I've heard that one before! What ship, where does it go?"

"Anywhere and everywhere!" the old man spoke with pride, "I have all of space and time at my disposal!"

"Time? You travel through time?" Aaron stood with his mouth open.

The old man chuckled, "That's the trouble with Earth people; the concept of time travel is so alien to them."

"Look!" Aaron was getting bored with the conversation now, "I don't know why you've parked yourself here in these woods to play out your weird fantasies, but I've had enough! I'm off!"

Aaron made for the door but it was shut tight. He pushed and pulled, but it would not budge.

He turned to look at the old man again, "You can't keep me here; there's laws against this sort of thing, you know!"

The old man chortled, "My dear young man! I'm not keeping you here! But, if you were to walk through those doors now, even if you could, you'd be vaporised in an instant!"

"What do you mean?" Aaron scratched his head.

"We're in a time-warp!" the old man explained, "You'll have to wait until we land again!"

"Land? But I was walking through the woods! You're some sort of crank!"

The old man looked insulted, "Young man, I assure you I'm not a 'crank', as you so delicately put it! We're travelling through space and time."

Aaron could see that the old man believed every word he was saying and he had an idea, so he decided to humour him. "OK, prove it!"

"What?"

"If what you say is true, you could take me back to the year 2010, couldn't you?"

"Yes, but why then?"

"Never mind, can you do it...or not?"

The old man began fiddling with the controls on the console, "Yes, I can land back where we just came from; in a different time. Is that what you want?"

"Can I pick a date?" Aaron asked, still not believing a word of it.

"What date do you have in mind?" the old man felt that he was getting through to Aaron.

"Let me see...October it was; I think it was the 6th!" Aaron screwed up his eyes in concentration, "Yeah, 6th October, 2010!"

The old man once more set to work, adjusting his instruments. Aaron stifled a laugh; it really looked as if this silly old sod believed in his own outrageous story!

Aaron felt a slight vibration and then the old man flicked a switch to open the door. "There you are!" he said, triumphantly, "Back where we were, but on 6th October, 2010!"

Aaron walked through the door to be greeted by bright sunshine! When he had entered the shed, it had been dark; but now, it was broad daylight. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and, as he did so, he heard a strange whirring sound behind him. He turned to look again at the old shed; but it had vanished!

"Livesy!" he scolded himself, "You really need to take more water with it!"

Aaron trudged back towards home. The events of the past hour or so kept running through his mind. He thought about the strange old man, "There's more out than there are in!" he thought to himself, "There really are some weird people around..."

As Aaron entered the village, he stopped dead in his tracks. There, outside Dale Head, was Jackson's van! The very same van that he had seen smashed to smithereens! Aaron did a double-take; surely the old man was not for real! Surely he had not been transported back to the past! He walked up the path to Dale Head in a trance; he had to see if his beloved Jackson was still alive!

He opened the door of Dale Head with trepidation, his heart pounding, his mouth dry. He almost collapsed when he saw Jackson crouching underneath the sink in the kitchen; everything was the same as the last time he had called on his boyfriend in this place on that fateful day.

Jackson looked up and spoke to the young mechanic, "Back again?" he said with a little smile. Jackson rose to his feet to face Aaron, "It's only half an hour since you left; you haven't changed your mind about tonight already, have you?"

"What?" Aaron stood, open-mouthed; he still did not believe what was happening.

"Tonight?" Jackson had a quizzical look on his face, "Our night out?"

Aaron tried to pull himself together. He looked at the gorgeous vision in front of him; had he really been sent back to 6th October, 2010? It was looking for all the world like he had! "What's the date?" he asked.

Jackson looked at Aaron and raised one eyebrow, "Why? Double-booked in your diary, am I?"

Aaron, still unable to comprehend what was happening, suddenly threw his arms around Jackson and hugged him close; almost crushing the breath out of Jackson's body!

"Hey! What's come over you?" Jackson said, shocked at the sudden display of affection.

Aaron pulled back to stare into Jackson's eyes; still holding onto him. He realised that the strange old man had been telling the truth all along! Somehow, miraculously, he had been given a second chance! He made up his mind, there and then, not to screw up again! "Oh Jackson! I love you! Really, I do! I've been an idiot!"

Jackson eyed him suspiciously, "You're not just saying this are you? Don't say it because I told you that I love you and you think you have to say it back!"

Aaron's tears began to run down his cheeks, "No, Jackson, I'm not just saying it! You once told me that I'd know when it happened..."

"I don't remember saying that..."

Aaron thought about it; if he really had been pushed back in time then Jackson had not said that yet! He looked steadily into the big brown eyes that he loved with all his heart, "I know!" he said, enigmatically, "But all that matters right now is that I know how I feel and I've got to tell you! I love you, Jackson!"

Jackson was moved. He had never known Aaron lay his heart on the line before and it touched him deeply. He knew that Aaron was the love of his life and he had believed that the young mechanic did not love him back. Now he knew differently as he stared into those beautiful blue eyes; they held a truth; a simple honesty that could not be denied.

They moved together and kissed; their first kiss as two people who knew that they were in love with each other.

As they broke apart, Aaron continued to stare into Jackson's eyes, which were also now moist with the emotion of the moment.

"Let's not go out tonight," Aaron whispered, "Paddy and Marlon are going out on the town; we can have the place to ourselves...to talk; privately. I don't want you driving your van; not tonight!"

"Why not?" asked Jackson.

"Don't ask!" Aaron put his finger to Jackson's lips, "Just trust me on this one, OK?"


	2. Chapter 2

Time and Time Again – Chapter 2

_-O-_

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

_Thank you for your lovely reviews of the first chapter, which was destined to be a 'one-shot'! As so many of you have asked me to continue, please read on..._

_-O-_

7th October, 2010

Aaron stirred, opened his eyes and stretched. He had spent most of the night holding on to Jackson, almost afraid to let him go! He could remember the last time that he had lived through the 7th October 2010, when he had spent hours at the hospital, not knowing whether Jackson would survive the night!

He reached across the bed, but the other side was empty! Panic set in! Had he dreamt the events of the previous day? The doubts came crashing in like waves on the shore; how could it be possible to go back in time? Time travel didn't exist!

As Aaron climbed out of bed, he once more had a feeling of déjà-vu as Jackson entered; wrapped only in a towel after his shower, "Morning!" he smiled at his lover.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Aaron enquired, "I wondered if I was dreaming..." Aaron's voice trailed off. He had not told Jackson about his encounter with the old man in his time machine; he didn't know where to start! They had spent the previous evening chatting about their last split and subsequent reunion. Jackson was over the moon to finally know that Aaron loved him and he had forgiven the young mechanic over the business with Mickey, the local thug who had bought the dodgy car from Aaron; and whom Jackson had paid off.

"So," Jackson whipped his towel off to dry his hair, leaving Aaron to fight the stirring in his loins at the sight of his naked lover, "You still haven't explained why it was so important for me not to drive my van last night!"

Aaron looked at Jackson a little sheepishly, he wanted to tell him everything, but did not know how he would be able to convince his boyfriend that he could, effectively, see into the future! Or, at least, a future which he hoped would now be changed for the better! The encounter with the time traveller still seemed like a dream and, if it seemed that way to Aaron, how would it seem to someone else?

"Jackson, you're going to think this is so weird," Aaron began, "but I saw what would happen to you if we went out last night."

Jackson finished drying his hair and sat next to Aaron on the bed, he could tell that his boyfriend was bottling something up, "Go on!" he said.

"I've lived the whole of 2010 before!" Aaron said, still unsure how to relate his story, "It all happened differently last time."

Jackson looked at Aaron with a bemused expression on his face, "You're not making any sense!"

"I know!" Aaron looked into Jackson's lovely brown eyes, so full of life and vitality, "This is what happened; we had a row, you drove off in your van without me, your van was hit by a train on a level crossing...and then..." Aaron faltered; the memory of that night was still too raw; too painful.

"But I'm here!" Jackson reasoned, "I'm still in one piece! I didn't go out in the van! You must have had a premonition, that's all!"

"No!" Aaron was insistent, "Like I said, I've lived through it already! You were paralysed...couldn't move...in a wheelchair! It was awful!"

Jackson was having a hard time taking it all in. He looked at Aaron and could see how upset he was, but, he surmised, Aaron must have been dreaming! "You've been having nightmares; that's it!"

"If only it was just a nightmare!" Aaron still looked upset, "But it all happened; just like I'm telling you."

"But, how can it have done? If what you say is true, I'd be in hospital now! But, I'm still here, large as life!"

"Jackson, listen to me. I'm going to tell you something now and, I swear to God, I'm sure this happened!" Aaron looked at Jackson, wondering whether to recount his meeting with the mysterious time traveller and how he asked to be transported back in time; but he knew that he had to share the memory of the experience with his boyfriend. Jackson listened patiently, but it was difficult to believe Aaron's account of events.

But then, Jackson had a random thought, "You know when you came back yesterday after about half an hour? The first time, you were in your work overalls and the second; you were in a hoodie top...come to think of it, I've never seen you in that top before, is it new?"

"That's it!" Aaron had a 'Eureka' moment, "I bought that hoodie around September 2011...that's why you haven't seen it before!" Aaron fetched the garment from the hook on the door and studied it closely; but there was no way of proving when it was purchased. He sat down on the bed again; crestfallen, "I don't blame you for not believing it! If you were telling me the same thing, I probably wouldn't believe it either! I've got no proof! Maybe I was having a nightmare after all!"

"As nightmares go," Jackson chuckled, "this one's up there with Armageddon!"

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Jackson went off to work as usual. Aaron did not want to let him out of his sight, but he knew that Jackson would resent being wrapped in cotton-wool! Anyway, he had come through the previous day unscathed, so Aaron knew that his lover would be alright.

Paddy was in the kitchen when Aaron appeared, "Was that Jackson's voice I heard earlier?" Paddy wore a knowing smile.

"Yeah!" Aaron smiled back, "We've made up."

"That's great news!" Paddy liked Jackson and knew that he made Aaron happy.

"Paddy?"

The vet looked at Aaron's worried frown, "What's up? I thought you said everything's OK now!"

"Yeah, it is...kind of!"

"What is it now?" Paddy crossed his arms; he knew that Aaron was in an unburdening mood.

Aaron knew that his story would sound just as ridiculous to Paddy as it did to Jackson, but he also knew that he needed his nearest and dearest to know the truth, "Listen, Paddy, you know you're like a dad to me don't ya?"

Paddy was touched, he knew how much Aaron struggled to open up about his emotions, "I'd like to think I am!" he said, sincerely.

"Well, maybe you can shed some light on what I'm about to tell you! I've only told Jackson this up to now, but he can't get his head round it; and I don't blame him!"

Paddy settled in for a long story. Aaron explained all about Jackson's accident and its aftermath, the mysterious time machine, his travelling back in time; everything.

"Well?" Aaron looked at Paddy, who had sat in silence for a good two minutes, deep in thought.

"Sorry!" Paddy looked at Aaron, he could tell that the young man was sincere and really believed every word of his story, "I don't know what to say! It's difficult to believe and I can understand why Jackson is so sceptical, but, on the other hand, I can't see you making all this up! You wouldn't have the imagination to come up with a story like this!"

"Thanks, Paddy...are you saying I'm thick!"

"Far from it! You're very bright! If this is all a story, I don't see why you'd be inventing it all!"

"So, you believe me?" Aaron was hoping for an ally.

"I'd like to," Paddy concluded, "but it's so far-fetched! Maybe if I had some proof! I'm sorry if I sound as sceptical as Jackson!"

"It's OK!" Aaron looked resigned to the fact that anyone would not take his story seriously, "I don't suppose it matters now anyway; Jackson's OK and that's all that counts!"

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Aaron had been so wrapped up in his thoughts about Jackson that he had gone off to the garage without his mobile phone. Cain sent him to Hotton to collect some parts, but, when he arrived in the town, he realised that he had not got his phone on him. Ordinarily, it would not have been too much of a problem, but the suppliers that he was due to visit had moved from their previous address and he had their new address stored on a text on his phone! He knew that Cain had gone out on a breakdown, so he was unable to ring him at the garage. Suddenly, he had an idea, Jackson was still finishing off at Dale Head; perhaps he could call him from a payphone and ask him to retrieve his phone from Smithy Cottage and, of course, tell him where he was supposed to be going!

Jackson's phone rang just as he was walking past Smithy Cottage; he had been to get a snack from the shop. He did not recognise the number which flashed up, but he answered anyway. He was surprised to hear Aaron's exasperated voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi gorgeous, what's up?" Jackson smiled as he spoke, even though Aaron could not see him.

"Don't tell me off!" Aaron began, "But I've left my mobile at home! You couldn't get it for me, could you?"

Jackson chuckled, "Don't worry; I'll let you off this time! If you didn't have a habit of leaving your phone behind, we'd never have met!"

"Is that a good thing...or a bad thing?" Aaron chortled.

Jackson walked towards Smithy Cottage, "Depends on how you look at it, I suppose!" he joked.

Aaron explained to Jackson about the address that he needed and how to find it on the phone. Jackson found the phone on the kitchen table and pushed several buttons to retrieve the information. Once Aaron had the address that he wanted; he said farewell to his boyfriend. Jackson decided to switch off Aaron's phone to save on the battery but, as he did so, by mistake, he caught a button which took him into the photo gallery. As he looked at the picture on the screen, Jackson caught his breath! He sat down at the table, staring at the image on the screen. His blood ran cold; it was him, sitting in a wheelchair on the seafront at Whitby! But, as shocking as that image was already; nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the date at the bottom of the picture: 5th May, 2011!


	3. Chapter 3

Time and Time Again – Chapter 3

_-O-_

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

_-O-_

Jackson was still sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the mobile phone, when Aaron arrived home.

"You OK?" asked Aaron, seeing that his boyfriend looked anxious.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Jackson asked, showing Aaron the picture on the phone.

"That's it! I never thought of that!" Aaron shrieked.

"What are you talking about?"

"The proof I needed! God! Why didn't I think of it before! The Whitby trip! I've got some pictures on there, taken in May, 2011...have you seen the skydiving ones?"

"That's me?" Jackson looked astonished; there was no way of telling the identity of the skydiver in the 'long shots'.

"Well, you and a trained skydiver; you couldn't do it on your own, being a paraplegic; we had to get the go ahead to do it; for medical purposes."

Jackson sat in stunned silence; he was still having trouble taking it all in! He half-believed that Aaron had planted 'doctored' pictures on his phone! "You didn't leave your phone here on purpose; just so I'd find these pictures, did you?"

Aaron reached out and took Jackson's hands in his own, "No, Jackson! I swear! I wouldn't do that to you! I honestly forgot that those pictures were on it; I wish I'd thought of it before; when I was trying to find proof of what I was saying! We went on a trip to Whitby in May, 2011. I arranged that skydive as I was trying to convince you that life was still worth living...you were at such a low ebb."

"But, this is impossible!" Jackson was shaking his head, "How can I see myself in the future? The whole thing's mad!"

"Now you can see why I'm having trouble believing it myself!" Aaron continued to grip Jackson's hands, "I know I lived through it all; yet it still seems like a dream!"

"OK!" Jackson suddenly pulled himself together, "If your story is true...and I'm saying a big IF...when did you meet this weird old man in his time machine?"

"November, 2011. It was five months after you..." Aaron could not form his next words.

"After I died?" Jackson had the details of Aaron's story lodged firmly in his mind.

"Yeah!" Aaron said in hushed tones, "After the day my world ended."

"But," Jackson was trying to rationalise the situation, "If I'm in a wheelchair in May 2011 and then I met my end in June, surely that's still going to happen? You can't change history!"

"But I have already!" Aaron looked into Jackson's eyes, "I've stopped you from crashing your van...you're OK now!"

"But, I may have escaped that disaster...but, surely, I am still due to meet my end..."

Aaron butted in, "Don't talk like that, Jackson! I've saved you!"

"I don't know, Aaron! Anyway, here's another thought...if you have 'come back' in time, why aren't there two of you? One who was here in the first place; and the 'you', as you are now, from the future?"

"I don't know, do I?" Aaron looked perplexed, "I'm not an expert in time travel, even though I've done it!"

Paddy entered as they were having their conversation. Aaron showed the pictures to his surrogate father and Paddy had to sit down; from the surprise!

"So, you were telling the truth!" Paddy gasped, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you!"

Aaron smiled at Paddy, "It's OK, I understand! I still don't believe it myself!"

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That night, before turning in, Jackson was in the bathroom and Aaron had stripped off to his boxer shorts in the bedroom, when he stopped to look in the mirror. He gagged with shock! The room behind him was totally familiar but, there, as plain as day, was another image of himself; standing behind him! Not only that, but his 'other self' was dressed in his work overalls! Aaron spun round to look at the doppelganger, but there was no sign of the apparition! He looked in the mirror again, but his 'other self' had vanished. He sat down on the bed, pale and shaking.

Jackson entered and saw Aaron sitting on the bed. He could tell that he was upset and sat beside him, "What's the matter?" he said.

Aaron turned to Jackson and fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Jackson cuddled him and stroked his cropped hair, "Hey! Come on! What on Earth's got into you?"

Aaron drew back to look into Jackson's big brown eyes, "What have I done?" he gulped out between sobs, "Why did I ask to come back in time? Something horrible is happening to me! I'm going mad!"

Jackson did not understand what had upset Aaron so much, so he just pulled him into another hug, trying to soothe away his anguish.

Aaron slept fitfully that night. The image in the mirror had totally unnerved him and he kept reliving it. He was also having a weird dream. He was back in the woods where he had met the mysterious time-traveller, only this time there was no old shed, but a round table surrounded by dark, hooded figures. He could not see their faces, but he somehow knew that they were not human. The four, unearthly figures all turned towards him and pointed at him with sharp, bony fingers. Aaron woke up abruptly in a cold sweat!

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The next morning, Aaron was already awake when Jackson stirred. Jackson looked at his boyfriend and smiled, "You feeling any better?" he asked.

"I hardly slept a wink!" Aaron said with a yawn, "When I did sleep, I was having a really strange dream!"

"I thought you were a bit restless! Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"I've already stretched you to breaking point with my time travelling tales! This is going to sound even more weird; if that's possible!"

"I told you, I believe you!" Jackson reached for Aaron's phone, "Especially now I've got some proof," he pushed the button to enter the photo gallery, but it was blank! "Where have the pictures gone? You haven't deleted them, have you?"

Aaron grabbed the phone from Jackson's hand, "Oh no!" he cried, pressing the buttons frantically, "They've gone! The pictures, they've all gone!"

Aaron started to cry and Jackson immediately pulled him into a hug, "Never mind! I saw them...Paddy saw them. We can't have both imagined what we saw! Anyway, you still haven't told me why you were so upset last night."

Aaron calmed down; Jackson always had that influence on him, "Well, it was the weirdest thing! I was looking in the mirror and I could see another one of me, standing behind me! I turned round, but there was no-one there! When I looked again, he was gone!"

"You mean; you were gone?" Jackson wore a puzzled frown.

"No, I was still there, this other 'me' was gone. He...or is that me? I was wearing my work overalls!" Aaron looked into Jackson's eyes, "I told you it would sound ridiculous!"

"Well, I know something really freaked you out! It couldn't have been a trick of the light, could it?"

Aaron knew that Jackson was only trying to find a rational explanation, so he remained calm, "No, Jackson...I know what I saw! It was as clear as anything!"

"Well, I suppose, with all that's happened to you, you're bound to start seeing things!"

"You think I'm a head case, don't you?" Aaron looked hurt.

Jackson once more hugged his boyfriend, "Of course not! If you say that's what you saw, then I believe you. I know I was sceptical at first...anyone would be, but, somehow, you've come back through time! I don't know how or why, but I know you, Aaron; and I know you wouldn't make all this up!"

"Thanks!" Aaron kissed Jackson; to have his boyfriend's belief in him meant the world to him!

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Aaron could not concentrate; his mind was still on the events of the previous night. A combination of stress and lack of sleep meant that he was in no fit state to work but, he had to earn a crust and his uncle Cain would not be best pleased if he skived off for no valid reason!

Cain left him on his own in the afternoon. He was all alone in the garage and working on an old Ford Fiesta. As he lifted his head from under the bonnet, he caught sight of someone in overalls, standing near the door. The sun was shining outside, so he could only see a silhouette and thought that Cain had returned.

"I thought you were going to be missing for the rest of the afternoon!" Aaron said, but there was no reply.

"You might at least answer..." Aaron stopped short; for the figure by the door was not Cain; it was himself!

"Oh...my...God!" Aaron gasped.

The 'Aaron double' said nothing, but stood in silence, beckoning him to follow.

Aaron freaked out, "No, go away! You're not really there!"

Aaron shut his eyes tightly in disbelief. When he opened them again, the figure had gone!

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Jackson returned home to find Aaron sitting in the kitchen in the dark. He flipped on the light and crossed over to his boyfriend. He could see Aaron looked upset and was shaking like a leaf!

"Hey!" Jackson put his arm around Aaron's shoulders, "What's the matter?"

"I saw him again!" Aaron spoke softly; breathlessly.

"Who?"

"Well, me! It looks like me...but, how can it be?"

"In the mirror again?"

Aaron's eyes focussed on his lover, "No! In the garage! Oh, Jackson...I know I must be going mad!"

Aaron's tears were falling and Jackson just wished that he could dry them all and calm his boyfriend. Aaron looked towards the door of the cottage and cried out, "He's here again!"

Jackson also looked towards the door, but could see nothing untoward, "Where, I can't see anyone!"

"Then I am going mad! He's beckoning to me again!"

"Why don't you follow him," Jackson tried to humour Aaron; he was beginning to think that his loved one was, indeed, slipping into insanity!

"I'm scared, Jackson! Why can I see myself? Where will he take me?"

"Look, I'll come with you. Maybe if you go wherever he wants you to go, he'll leave you alone!"

Aaron thought about it for a few moments. Jackson's idea made sense to him, so he stood up and walked towards the door. His double continued to beckon him on; and they walked out of the village in the direction of the clearing in the woods where Aaron had found the time machine. As they approached, with his double still urging them to follow him, Jackson suddenly let out a gasp, "Now that, I can see!" he said.

In the clearing, there was a large, circular table surrounded by four hooded figures, just like in Aaron's dream!

"This is what I could see in my nightmares, Jackson!" Aaron stood open mouthed. Just beyond the table, he could see a semi-circular portal, almost like the entrance to a railway tunnel. His 'double' stood by the portal and waited. Then, one of the hooded figures drew back his hood to reveal his face. He had a kindly face, much like that of a favourite elderly uncle. Aaron felt strangely calm and spoke, "Who are you, why have you brought me here? And who is that?" he pointed towards his doppelganger.

"So many questions! But, that's understandable! Firstly, I am Savin, one of the Time Lords! Secondly, you are here to put right a wrong; and thirdly; that, young man; is you!"

"How can it be me?" Aaron looked perplexed.

Savin smiled, "You are human; you do not understand the concept of a 'temporal paradox'! You travelled back to a time where you already existed; but you can only exist once in a given time! Your 'other self' is trapped in the paradox and he wants you to go back!"

"But," Aaron gripped Jackson's hand, "if I go back; I'll lose Jackson again! I can't lose him, not a second time!" Aaron's tears streamed down his face.

"We are not ogres!" Savin said, calmly, "We know why you wanted to go back! Rarely have we encountered such a strong and powerful love! You must return to your own time, but you will still have Jackson; it will not upset the time line if he lives a full life, but we will need to wipe his memory of these events and erase any trace of the 'future' that you have seen."

Aaron thought back to his mobile phone, "The photographs?" he said.

"Yes!" Savin replied, "Anything which let you glimpse the future has been erased. Now...please join your 'other self' in the portal so that the time line can be restored!"

"Jackson!" Aaron turned to his lover, "Don't ever forget that I love you! I'm just terrified I'll never see you again!"

"You heard what he said," Jackson nodded towards Savin, "we'll still be together when you return! I love you too."

Aaron kissed Jackson and then, slowly and with fear in his heart, walked towards the portal. Jackson watched Aaron enter and, as he did so, he held out his arms to the 'double' that Jackson still could not see. The 'two Aaron's' embraced; and then, the portal closed and vanished into thin air.

The next thing he knew, Jackson found himself lying in bed next to Aaron, with no memory of the events in the woods. The sun was streaming through the windows and, somewhere nearby, a cock crowed to herald a brand new day.

Aaron roused and looked at his boyfriend, "Morning!" he smiled at the face he loved, "I had a lovely dream last night!"

"You did?" Jackson kissed Aaron passionately.

"Yeah, you and me were back on that beach in Lanzarote! Shall we go again next year?"

"Yeah!" replied Jackson, "I think we can fit it in between the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics!" he chuckled, "2012 is going to be our year...I just know it!"


End file.
